Over the years, I've spent many, many dollars on rpg's. $20 for Breath
of Fire, $70 for Final Fantasy III, $40 for Final Fantasy IX...however,
the $5 I recently spent on The Legend of Zelda are some of the most
worthwhile ever. Released in 1987 by Nintendo, this game began one of
the most purely fun series of games in any genre. While a quick
dissection of its various attributes shows LoZ delivers in most areas, a
more in-depth look reveals the fact that this game is more than the sum
of its parts.

First, we take a quick look at LoZ's graphics. No, they aren't superb,
and yes, compared to later NES titles, they are lacking. However, it
was 1986, and more importantly, the graphics fit the game. The gameplay
itself is so good, you find yourself not minding that every tree is an
identical green ball, and every temple seems to have been constructed by
the same unimaginative builders. Each area of the game is an
independent, non-scrolling block. Picture LoZ: A Link to the Past being
cut up into many small pieces, rather than using large, scrolling ones.
This approach works well in that it allows you to explore and fight
enemies in a more controlled environment. You will be doing a lot of
exploring, by the way. There are eight temples to find plus Gannon's
lair, and the hints you receive are sparse and not especially helpful.

Complimenting LoZ's graphical elements is a small but impressive
musical score. As the first game in the series, LoZ introduced the
classic Zelda theme that is used to this day in the N64 incarnations.
If this melody isn't already firmly embedded in your brain, it soon will
be, since you spend most of your time navigating the overworld, and the
theme is the only tune played there. There are a couple of dungeon
tracks as well, each appropriately spooky. The sound-effects, while
well-done, aren't superb. None stand out in my mind...

A legend is born...

Legend of Zelda employs an interface much like that used in the new
Zelda games. One button is used constantly for your sword, while the
other is set to one of the game's special items, the number of which is
remarkable. While not all can be 'used' persay, each is unique, and
finding them all offers a small level of replay value. The idea of a
magic meter had not yet been introduced, so any 'magic' items you find
can be used ad infinitum, an idea I found refreshing. The single most
curious element in the game is bow & arrow usage. Rather than
collecting and using arrows, every time you shoot an arrow, it costs a
rupee. I have no idea what the justification behind this is, but it
does make for some interesting times if you're fighting a boss that
requires the bow and you run out of money...

Originality is another of LoZ's strong suits. While the 'go to temple;
get map, compass, and special item; defeat boss; go to next temple'
pattern has begun to wear thin with the newer games in the series, at
the time it was a fresh and wonderful concept. As well, the real-time,
action/rpg style of gameplay offers a pleasant contrast to the more
traditional rpg's of the day, such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior.

One area in which LoZ doesn't shine is plot. Of course, the story is
the basic tale of Link, Gannon, Zelda, and the Triforce, but you will
find very little mention of any of these elements in the game itself.
In fact, I didn't receive the player's manual with my copy, so I had to
go online to read about the story. Accompanying the lack of
tale-telling, there is very little text. What's there is
well-localized, though I did note one glaring exception. When actually
playing the game, however, please note that I didn't say the hints were
good, just that they were well-translated.

Legend of Zelda's other small downfall is its difficulty level. This
game is easy. Even the poor hints don't matter much because you can
just search the world from top to bottom and eventually find what you're
looking for. It'll take you between 6-12 hours to complete, depending
on how quickly you stumble across the temples. There is quite a bit of
replay value here, however, due mainly to the large fun-factor. As
well, there is a 'second quest' after you defeat Gannon, which is simply
the same game with tougher enemies and shuffled item locations. Since
most of your time is spent searching for temples the first time you
play, the game will take a significantly shorter amount of time to
complete on successive attempts. However, if you're one of those people
who has to find everything, the search for heart containers will keep
you entertained for quite a while.

No precious Z-targeting to help you now!!

When taken alone, these individual elements would presumably produce an
average game, at best. For one simple reason, however, this is not the
case. The game is bound together by the glue of sheer fun. Almighty in
its ability to make or break any game, fun is what turns The Legend of
Zelda into a work of art. So go track down a copy; you should be able
to find it online without much difficulty. That $5 plus s&h will be
some of the best you've ever spent.